Victim of Innocence: A DCI Matilda Darke short story

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Ben’s desk was a mountain of files and paperwork. He briefly looked through it before selecting the relevant file. ‘Caitlyn Brown, twenty-three, said she was raped on October fifteenth last year. She’s dead?’

‘Yes. Serious head injury. She was found in her own flat last night.’

‘Any suspects?’

‘Not so far.’ Matilda pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘Did she say who raped her?’

‘No,’ he skimmed the file. ‘She gave a good description though.’

‘Apparently she came forward because she saw a news story of a similar attack.’

‘Julia Adams. She was raped on Saturday February fifth. She came into the station the next morning, still wearing her clothes from the attack. She was a mess. She was taken to the interview suite. We got some DNA but there’s no match on the computer.’

‘Did she know who raped her?’

‘No, but the description she gave was similar to Caitlyn’s.’

‘I’m going to need to speak to the SOLO for both Caitlyn and Julia.’

‘That’s PC Kesinka Rani. I put her on Caitlyn when I heard of the similarities with Julia’s attack.’

‘Good thinking. We’re going to need to liaise on this, Ben. Are you all right with that?’

‘Do what you want,’ he said, returning to his paperwork.

Matilda sighed and left the room.

That man will never change.

PC Kesinka Rani was sitting in the station canteen on her own. Her current work as a Sexual Offences Liaison Officer (SOLO) was stressful and demanding. Her job was to be a first point of contact for all victims of rape. Kesinka interviewed them, talked them through the process of the investigation, and was with them every step of the way to recovery.

The stories Kesinka heard from victims were often harrowing and upsetting. She tried not to allow them to get to her, but it wasn’t easy.

This morning she was due to visit Julia Adams. Last night, Julia had sent a text to Kesinka asking her whether it was a good idea to return to work. The decision was entirely Julia’s, but Kesinka had offered to go around for a coffee to talk through options.

Before that, however, Kesinka needed a good breakfast inside her. Unfortunately, due to several recent late nights, she hadn’t been shopping, so she fell back on the station canteen for her meals. On the table in front of her was a cup of weak tea and a double helping of scrambled eggs on toast. She was enjoying her breakfast and didn’t notice DCI Darke walk over to her table.

‘Kesinka, sorry to interrupt, any chance of a word?’

‘Of course, ma’am,’ she said, swallowing. She put down her knife and fork and pushed her plate to one side.

‘Don’t stop eating on my account. Is it good?’

‘It is actually,’ she picked up the cutlery again. ‘Better than I can make, anyway.’

‘I may have to start having my meals in here,’ Matilda smiled. ‘Kesinka, DI Hales tells me you’re acting as SOLO for Caitlyn Brown.’

‘That’s right.’

‘What can you tell me about her?’

‘Oh. Well, she’s quite a shy person. She doesn’t have many friends. I get the impression her parents are a bit controlling. Her mother certainly is. She’s an only child. She works as a veterinary nurse. That’s about it really. Why?’

‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but Caitlyn was found dead in her flat last night. She’d been murdered.’

‘Oh my God,’ Kesinka said, dropping her cutlery again. ‘That’s horrible. I really liked her.’

‘Did she say anything to you about any unwanted attention, or if she was frightened?’

‘Well, she wasn’t handling the rape very well. She blamed herself, said she’d had too much to drink on the night it happened. She also said if she’d come forward straight away then maybe Julia Adams wouldn’t have been raped. I tried to tell her not to think like that, but she was really beating herself up about it.’

‘Was she seeing someone?’

‘No.’

‘What about at the time of the rape? Last October, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes it was. She was single then, too.’

‘Did she know her attacker?’

‘No. She says not.’

‘Kesinka,’ Matilda said, leaning forward and lowering her voice. ‘Did you believe Caitlyn when she said she was raped?’

‘Yes I did. One-hundred-per-cent. I’ve been a SOLO for a couple of years now. I’ve spoken to many victims, and some I’ve had an inkling they were making it up. With Caitlyn, and with Julia, I didn’t get that.’

‘Thanks. Will you be able to get me a transcript of her original interview?’

‘Sure. I’ll email the video to you if you like.’

‘Thanks. Are you seeing Julia Adams any time soon?’

‘This morning, actually.’

‘I don’t want you to frighten her but look into her security. Ask her if anyone has been in touch with her lately or if she’s had any inkling of being followed.’

‘You think Caitlyn’s murder could have something to do with her rape?’

‘I don’t know what to think at the moment.’

‘If Julia’s a potential target shouldn’t we offer her protection?’

‘I doubt the ACC will agree to that, until we have the facts. In the meantime, tell Julia to keep safe.’

‘Will do.’ Kesinka pushed her plate away. Suddenly, she had lost her appetite.

Chapter Four (#uea50fca9-7cb2-5bc3-80ec-fe4e6eee6748)

As promised, Adele Kean performed the post mortem on Caitlyn Brown first thing in the morning. When it was over, she and Matilda changed out of their scrubs and sat in her office with a cup of tea and a packet of chocolate HobNobs to go through the briefing.

‘There were some old scratches on her arms and legs I didn’t like the look of. I’ve taken a few close-up shots. I doubt we’ll get any samples though.’

‘Shit, sorry, I should have said, she worked as a veterinary nurse. Could they have come from animals?’

Adele smiled. ‘Very probably. They looked like claw marks. I did wonder what she’d been up to. However, my estimation at the scene was confirmed. She died from massive internal bleeding in the brain. The skull was severely fractured.’

‘Would she have suffered?’

‘As she was found in bed I’d say not. She was either knocked unconscious and carried to bed, but that doesn’t explain the blood smears on the wall of her living room, or, she was hit and, while dazed and confused, decided to lie down and died in her sleep.’

‘Poor girl. Any sign of sexual interference?’ Matilda asked.

‘None. She hasn’t had sex for a while by the look of it. She was raped, wasn’t she?’

‘Apparently, yes.’

Adele shook her head. ‘Why do some men think they have the right to demand sex from whoever they like?’

‘I’ve no idea,’ Matilda said, reaching for another chocolate biscuit.

‘I’ve sent blood samples off to the lab. As soon as I get everything back I’ll send you my full report.’

‘Thanks.’

‘No problem. So, your night out was interrupted, then?’

‘Typical isn’t it? I was looking forward to a night away from the caravan.’

‘Don’t let James hear you call it a caravan,’ Adele said with a smile. ‘When I was there last week he pointed out many times that it’s a static home.’

Matilda rolled her eyes. ‘He promised me a state of the art Winnebago. The only reason I gave the go-ahead on the house renovations was because he said I’d be living in luxury at the bottom of the garden while they were carried out. I’m in a condemned prefab that shakes every time the wind blows.’

Adele laughed. ‘How much longer is it going to be?’

‘Nothing has been done on the house since mid-January, so I think we’ll still be at the bottom of the garden when the rapture comes.’

‘You’re more than welcome to come and stay with me and Chris,’ Adele said, referring to her son who was at college.

‘I may take you up on that. I never thought I’d miss things like brick walls. The romance in a marriage sort of dies when you can hear your loved one’s bowel movements in the next room.’

Tall, dark, brooding DC Aaron Connolly knocked on Matilda’s office door and walked in. His joy at being a newlywed had quickly faded. ‘Ma’am, I’ve heard back from forensics. The bloody fingerprint on the wall in the living room matches Caitlyn Brown.’

‘Thanks.’

‘There are a few other prints we can’t match.’

‘They could belong to her parents. Is her mother in a fit state to be interviewed?’

‘I don’t know. Anna’s still at the hospital.’

‘Right. Also, PC Kesinka Rani was Caitlyn’s SOLO. Her prints will probably be in the flat. You may need to talk to her.’

‘Will do.’

Aaron left the office and Matilda followed him out into the main open-plan suite where members of the Murder Investigation Team were busy at work.

‘So,’ Matilda began, clapping her hands together to get everyone’s attention. ‘It seems that Caitlyn was attacked in the living room. The blow to her head was from behind so she was facing away from her attacker. She stumbled to the bedroom which is where she died. How are we doing on the door-to-door?’

‘Everyone’s given us a statement,’ Rita Morgan said. ‘Nobody heard or saw anything that troubled them until Diane Brown started screaming.’

‘How do you gain access to the building?’

‘There’s a door entry system. You have to be buzzed in.’

‘And, just to confirm, there was definitely no sign of a break-in to Caitlyn’s flat?’

‘No.’

‘So, either Caitlyn knew her killer and let them in, or her killer lives in the apartment block.’